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I am thinking about moving to the Duluth area around June and I need to know more about the place. Please tell me what you think about living in MN. No need to tell me its cold or it snows. I understand that. I was born in Minneapolis but have spent my entire adult life in NC. I would like to know about the job market, the people, transportation, the public school system, how much does rent usually run for a 2 bedroom house or apartment, crime rates....all other things that will need to be dealt with when moving to a new area.
The job market is slow in Duluth, but your ability to find a job will depend on your field and expectations. If you are a teacher, you will not find a job in Duluth, for example.
The people are largely "Minnesota nice": friendly enough, but not overly outgoing, prefer not to talk about politics or religion. People tend to keep to themselves, but that is of course a generalization. If you put in the effort, you will find who you are looking for.
Public transportation is poor in Duluth, as in many small cities. There are bus routes, but their efficacy is limited. Unless you really want to invest a lot of time in managing bus schedules, or live right next to your workplace, you will need a car. Duluth has very few problems with traffic or rush hour congestion. You can get to most places in the city in 10-15 minutes.
The public schools in Duluth are generally just fine: nothing innovative or exciting to write home about, but fine. The school district has had some financial problems because the population of kids has been shrinking steadily for many years. The district has closed many schools in the past couple of decades. There is a charter school elementary school in Duluth, and a charter high school as well, both of which appeal to certain parents. The charter elementary has a nice new facility, and the high school offers a smaller environment with more personal attention if that suits the needs of your children.
As for rent, that depends on where you live, of course. Duluth has a very tight housing market, and not nearly enough rentals, but you will find something. You could spend anywhere from $500-$1500+ for a 2-bedroom house or apartment, depending on the location. Check out Craig's List for Duluth to get a better sense of rental prices.
Crime isn't a big problem in Duluth. I would live anywhere in the city, with children, and feel safe. However, some people prefer to avoid the downtown area, Central Hillside, and certain parts of West Duluth and Morgan Park. These areas have fewer middle class families. It all depends on your priorities and values and tolerance level. Some people prefer to live in a more suburban area, like Hermantown. Families who want to stay in the city might like areas like the Chester Park area, East Duluth, Lakeside/Lester Park, Duluth Heights, and Piedmont. It depends what you want: Do you want land? A yard? A garage? A house or apartment? Urban or rural living? Do you want to be able to walk to stores and restaurants? If you prefer to rent rather than buy, you'll be limited to certain neighborhoods. The Chester Park and East Duluth areas have a lot of house rentals for example, because it proximity to the colleges. There are also a fair number of house rentals in West Duluth. As for apartments, they are scattered throughout the city.
You might want to move this to the Minnesota forum to get better responses.
I spent nearly my entire childhood in Duluth (which, I suppose, wasn't that long ago) and still visit.
The Duluth job market is very different from Minneapolis/St. Paul. It's a primarily blue-collar area with fewer jobs and lower wages. Most people I knew who had white-collar jobs tended to be employees of one of the hospitals, the university, or a business owner.
Of course, the cost of living is lower, so that helps with the lower wages. And the real draw is the abundance of nature. You are surrounded by the north woods, have access to the largest freshwater lake in the world (something I took for granted until I moved to Minneapolis), and have the beautiful north shore.
The people are about the same as anywhere in Minnesota: Friendly, though perhaps a bit aloof when first meeting strangers. Not many people move to the area without previous connections (see: lack of jobs), so many people have known each other since their K-12 days. Duluth does have a lot of artsy, throwback hippies, though. With a city so cheap and so connected to nature, they do seem to throng there.
Transportation is easy: You will have a car. Or rather, you will want a car unless you like slow, infrequent bus service in a limited range. There really isn't such a thing as rush hour in Duluth. I notice that whenever I spend more time up there, I am more sensitive to traffic backups because even small ones just really don't happen.
The public school system is decent. I'm sure it doesn't compare to the MSP area, but I got a good education in a bedroom community outside the city. Typically the best schools for test scores are Duluth East, Hermantown, and Esko. The schools in Duluth recently went through a major overhaul. Up until a year or so ago, there were three high schools, several middle schools, and even more elementary schools. Facing declining enrollment, the "Red Plan" was adopted. A bit divisive for the city. Essentially they closed Duluth Central High School, expanded Duluth Denfeld (the western part of Duluth that trends more blue collar and poorer), moved Duluth East (more upper-middle class and old money families mixed with blue collar) to a former middle school (and expanded it greatly), built or renovated two middle schools (one to feed each high school), and streamlined elementary schools. Essentially, the facilities at any school should now be pretty excellent, but expect some kinks to be worked out in the next few years.
Rent should be fairly cheap (though if you're coming from North Carolina, expect prices to be comparable or more expensive compared to what you're paying). Crime rates are low in most areas. Even in the worst areas of town I haven't felt unsafe parking my car and walking a block or two. Sure, there's a shooting or a stabbing occasionally, though the murder numbers in town are incredibly low. My town outside Duluth had one murder...ever. A lot of people leave their doors unlocked. The worst areas might have a few car break-ins, but you're unlikely to end up in those places as it's so cheap to live in a safe place elsewhere.
I find it ironic that I am desperate to leave Duluth and move to either NC or SC, and here you want to leave there and come here! Can we just trade places?
I have spent most of my life here. My son is in high school and I am working on my second degree (hopefully a more useful one than my first.). I got very lucky to get the job I have (yes it does matter who you know), and *for the area* it's a good job, but I want more. Once I get my degree and get my son settled at college in a handful of years, I am hoping to get the heck out of Dodge! I would love to move to your neck of the woods, but realistically I know the economy is not very strong there either. What will more likely happen is we will end up in the Mpls/St Paul area, where the economy is quite a bit stronger.
The "Red Plan" that the former poster spoke of has been a disaster that continues to suck more and more money from taxpayers that have nothing more to give. They just approved another 12% (?) property tax increase because they can't sell the buildings they thought would be so easy to sell. This is after a similarly sized tax levy just recently failed... so one way or the other they will get their money. They just take. It's not a pretty situation.
Also, the poster that said East, Hermantown, and Esko are the good high schools is correct. Unfortunately, my son is at Denfeld. Class sizes of up to 45 - not enough desks and chairs, not enough computers in computer classes, and not enough teachers. And just announced there will be MORE budget cuts this year... even though they are taking 12% more in property taxes. Interesting...
All this wouldn't be quite so painful if we weren't also very low in MCA test scores. Denfeld is ranked 326 out of 482 Minnesota high schools. By comparison, East is ranked 143, Hermantown 146.
Parts of Duluth are beautiful. I know people that live elsewhere that have visited and would *love* to move here. But they've probably rarely strayed from the nice touristy areas like Canal Park and up the North Shore. Most of Duluth is dull, drab, dreary, dirty..... We have many historical buildings (nothing as old as NC or SC of course since we are a newer city), but they are not kept beautiful for the most part. I was in Charleston, SC this past summer and they are a perfect example of a city that has kept up their beautiful historic buildings. We have not.
We once had more millionaires per capita than any other city in the world. From Wikipedia: "By the end of the 19th century, Duluth was a thriving city. Duluth was home to more millionaires per capita than any other city in the world and had become a favorite summer playground for the rich and the famous. Magnificent manor homes and Victorian mansions welcomed family and friends to lavish social events." What has happened to these magnificent homes and mansions today? Well many of them have been chopped up into little apartments. Not nice ones. As one of my classmates that tried very hard to find someplace to rent when he moved here put it, "everybody is a slumlord." We also don't have very many apartment complexes so even though rentals aren't in tip-top shape, renters often still pay too much for a roof over their head, for what they are getting.
For years we have had very little development here. Very recently this has begun to change, but most of the development that happens is tourism-based. Tourism jobs do not make for a strong local economy. Unemployment might not be "high," but many, many people are under-employed and/or make low wages.
Little development also applies to housing. If you look on the city-data page, you will see that single-family construction permits have averaged about 30/yr for the past several years. I have researched many areas in North and South Carolina over the past several months and in every one of those areas, this number was in the hundreds. Affordable housing is really hard to find here, whether you are buying or renting.
Sorry to write a book, but I'm baffled why you would want to come here from an area I am desperate to move to. LOL. What part of NC are you currently in, and why do you want to leave?
Our young people are still leaving not just a few but most of them.
As of 2009, the Red Plan was and is being contested in court by some citizens because of the cost of implementing the plan and because of the choice of construction management contractor. And they still want more money.
There are a few opportunities, sure.
Like mentioned most if not all development is geared towards tourist and collage folks.
Tourist jobs only do well in the summer
If we couldn't do 75% of our jobs from home we to would have to move.
I still want to and I'm buying land elsewhere.
Duluth has a strong NIMBY culture.
It's a fun place to visit a hard place to make a living.
2010 census
As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 86,265 people, 35,705 households, and 18,680 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,272.5 inhabitants per square mile (491.3 /km2). There were 38,208 housing units at an average density of 563.6 per square mile (217.6 /km2). The racial makeup of the city was 90.4% White, 2.3% African American, 2.5% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population.
There were 35,705 households out of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.2% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.7% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.84.
The poverty rate was up sharply in 2009 to just over 25% of all Duluthians. The poverty rate in Duluth has risen by almost 10% since 2006.
Poverty and Education
Below shows the average wages for workers in Duluth in 2009: Level of Education[ Annual Earnings
No high school diploma, $12,500
High school diploma $24,700
Bachelor’s degree, $39,000
Graduate degree, $50,000
And things have not gotten better, many new projects are on hold or will be.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jblair0023
I find it ironic that I am desperate to leave Duluth and move to either NC or SC, and here you want to leave there and come here! Can we just trade places?
I have spent most of my life here. My son is in high school and I am working on my second degree (hopefully a more useful one than my first.). I got very lucky to get the job I have (yes it does matter who you know), and *for the area* it's a good job, but I want more. Once I get my degree and get my son settled at college in a handful of years, I am hoping to get the heck out of Dodge! I would love to move to your neck of the woods, but realistically I know the economy is not very strong there either. What will more likely happen is we will end up in the Mpls/St Paul area, where the economy is quite a bit stronger.
The "Red Plan" that the former poster spoke of has been a disaster that continues to suck more and more money from taxpayers that have nothing more to give. They just approved another 12% (?) property tax increase because they can't sell the buildings they thought would be so easy to sell. This is after a similarly sized tax levy just recently failed... so one way or the other they will get their money. They just take. It's not a pretty situation.
Also, the poster that said East, Hermantown, and Esko are the good high schools is correct. Unfortunately, my son is at Denfeld. Class sizes of up to 45 - not enough desks and chairs, not enough computers in computer classes, and not enough teachers. And just announced there will be MORE budget cuts this year... even though they are taking 12% more in property taxes. Interesting...
All this wouldn't be quite so painful if we weren't also very low in MCA test scores. Denfeld is ranked 326 out of 482 Minnesota high schools. By comparison, East is ranked 143, Hermantown 146.
Parts of Duluth are beautiful. I know people that live elsewhere that have visited and would *love* to move here. But they've probably rarely strayed from the nice touristy areas like Canal Park and up the North Shore. Most of Duluth is dull, drab, dreary, dirty..... We have many historical buildings (nothing as old as NC or SC of course since we are a newer city), but they are not kept beautiful for the most part. I was in Charleston, SC this past summer and they are a perfect example of a city that has kept up their beautiful historic buildings. We have not.
We once had more millionaires per capita than any other city in the world. From Wikipedia: "By the end of the 19th century, Duluth was a thriving city. Duluth was home to more millionaires per capita than any other city in the world and had become a favorite summer playground for the rich and the famous. Magnificent manor homes and Victorian mansions welcomed family and friends to lavish social events." What has happened to these magnificent homes and mansions today? Well many of them have been chopped up into little apartments. Not nice ones. As one of my classmates that tried very hard to find someplace to rent when he moved here put it, "everybody is a slumlord." We also don't have very many apartment complexes so even though rentals aren't in tip-top shape, renters often still pay too much for a roof over their head, for what they are getting.
For years we have had very little development here. Very recently this has begun to change, but most of the development that happens is tourism-based. Tourism jobs do not make for a strong local economy. Unemployment might not be "high," but many, many people are under-employed and/or make low wages.
Little development also applies to housing. If you look on the city-data page, you will see that single-family construction permits have averaged about 30/yr for the past several years. I have researched many areas in North and South Carolina over the past several months and in every one of those areas, this number was in the hundreds. Affordable housing is really hard to find here, whether you are buying or renting.
Sorry to write a book, but I'm baffled why you would want to come here from an area I am desperate to move to. LOL. What part of NC are you currently in, and why do you want to leave?
ps advice, have a job lined up first and know your costs.
I moved to Duluth as an educator a year ago and it has been one of the worse experiences Ive ever had. I moved here so my sons could have a place to live for two years and then graduate. But I have had two jobs and both lasted only a short time because some people at my work told lies about me to get me out of the places I worked. I was doing a good job but they just didn't like someone that cared about their job? I have had to struggle financially so much and the St. Louis County has been so unsupportive when I asked for help. It is so hard. I love the lake but for now that is about it. I don't know what to do as I need employment and I am very good at what I do because I care to do my best. WE will see.
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